Biography
Who is Manisha Koirala?
Early life and background
Manisha Koirala was born on August 16, 1970, in Kathmandu, Nepal, into the politically prominent Koirala family. Her father, Prakash Koirala, worked as a politician and former Cabinet minister, while her mother, Sushma Koirala, is a homemaker. Her grandfather, Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, served as the prime minister of Nepal during the late 1950s and early 1960s. She also has a brother named Siddharth Koirala, who pursued acting in Bollywood.
During her childhood, she spent time living in India, staying in Varanasi at her maternal grandmother's home, as well as in Delhi and Mumbai. She attended the Vasant Kanya Mahavidyalaya in Varanasi up to Class X. Initially aspiring to become a doctor, she moved to Delhi to study at the Army Public School in Dhaula Kuan. Living independently in Delhi helped her develop a strong and independent personality before she eventually shifted her focus toward an acting career in Mumbai.
Acting career and breakthrough
Manisha Koirala made her acting debut with the Nepali film Pheri Bhetaula in 1989. Following this, she entered Indian cinema by starring in Subhash Ghai's Hindi drama Saudagar in 1991, which became a commercial success at the box office. After experiencing a brief setback with a series of poorly performing films, her career gained significant momentum when she starred in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's romance film 1942: A Love Story in 1994. Although the film did not succeed commercially, her sensitive performance earned positive reviews and her very first nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare Awards.
In 1995, she made her debut in Tamil cinema with Mani Ratnam's political romance Bombay, acting alongside Arvind Swami. Her portrayal of a Muslim woman marrying a Hindu journalist during the Bombay riots brought her critical acclaim and her first award in the Best Actress Tamil category at the Filmfare Awards South. She followed this with major roles in well-known films such as Agni Sakshi, Indian, Gupt: The Hidden Truth, and Khamoshi: The Musical, cementing her status as a leading actress of her time.
Later projects and personal life
Over the next decade, Manisha Koirala took on various unconventional and art-house films, including the survival drama Escape From Taliban, the Malayalam psychological drama Elektra, and the anthology film I Am. In 2012, she took a break from acting after receiving a diagnosis of last stage ovarian cancer. Following a year-long medical treatment, she made a successful recovery by mid-2014. She returned to the screen with the drama Dear Maya in 2017 and portrayed actress Nargis in the biographical film Sanju in 2018.
Beyond her film work, Manisha Koirala has been actively involved in humanitarian efforts. The United Nations Population Fund appointed her as a Goodwill Ambassador for India in 1999 and for Nepal in 2015. She also contributed to relief work following the April 2015 Nepal earthquake. Also, she authored the book Healed: How Cancer Gave Me a New Life, which details her personal struggle and recovery from ovarian cancer.
Birthday and age
Manisha Koirala was born on August 16, 1970, which makes Manisha 56 years old today. That birthday falls under the Leo sign. Manisha shares the date with 66 other famous people.
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